How to do the Crow Pose (Kakasana)
Kakasana is likely the first inversion which any yogi will attempt. When you achieve this posture and finally feel "comfortable" in the pose and can maintain it for 1-3 minutes (best feeling ever btw), you will find that it is the first stepping stone to moving onto more advanced postures. You know that once you master the crow, you are close to having the strength, flexibility and balance to move onto postures like headstand, crow variations (this is where the real fun starts), eight-angle pose and peacock.
The benefits of the crow:
- Balances the nervous system
- Promotes a sense of physical balance
- Strengthens the arms, core and wrists
- Assists with digestion
- Increases concentration and calms the mind
- Builds endurance
So lets get down to the nitty gritty. If you are having trouble either getting into this posture or holding the crow, then it could be because you haven't got the steps quite right. By dissecting the posture and following each individual instruction, we will be able to see why.
Step one: Place your hands flat on the mat shoulder width apart, with your fingers spread. A common mistake is placing the hands too close to the body. Make sure that you place your hands out about a foot in front of your body.
Step two: Lift your hips up into the sky, so that your legs are bent, but not completely straight.
Step three: Shift your body weight into your fingertips. Lean your shoulders out past your wrists. Start to move the knees towards the backs of the triceps. Place the knees wherever is most comfortable on the triceps (eventually you want your knees to be as close to your arm pits as possible, but don't worry about that for now).
Step four: Once the knees are stable on the triceps, lift one toe off the ground, pushing your body weight into the fingers and the arms. Use the core to draw the navel in toward the spine, to stabilize and find that "lift." Once you are comfortable with this feeling, lift the other toe off the ground. If you can only lift one toe off the ground, that's fine! You are one step closer to a full crow the next time you try.
Step five: Once you have both feet off the ground, bring your big toes together so they are touching in the middle (as you can see in the picture above). This will make it much easier to balance.
*The key is learning where your center of gravity is and how to distribute your weight so that you can balance.*
To help you get into the posture, you can also try starting crouching down with your feet on a block. You then follow the steps outlined above, but this time as you are higher up to begin with, you will find that it is easier to find that "lift" and you will be able to get your knees higher up on your triceps. Trust me, it makes so much easier!
If you are worried about face planting, place a cushion in front of you. Sometimes the problem is that we are reluctant to move enough of our weight into our hands, as we fear we will just fall flat on our faces. The cushion will help alleviate this fear factor. Then, when you become comfortable in the posture, you will no longer need the cushion.
I hope these tips help, and would love to hear about your experience with this posture!
Namaste x
